The Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), in partnership with the Executive Council of Dubai, announced the second batch of participants in the Dubai Future Experts Programme, which includes upper and middle managers from 18 Government entities in Dubai across 10 sectors, including health, media, aviation, education, culture, tourism, economy, technology and infrastructure.

The Programme, launched in December 2020 by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, spans over six months and comprises three levels, mainly: Future Analyst, Future Practitioner and Future Strategist.

Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, and several high-level government officials attended the announcement.

Created by the Dubai Future Academy in cooperation with global experts, the curriculum focuses on building capacities in forecasting and designing the future of strategic sectors as well as devising legislation and policies to keep pace with emerging trends.

Al Basti said that launching the second cohort signifies a new step in empowering national talent and enhancing future readiness.

He emphasised the importance of the programme in enabling participants to improve the performance and readiness of their respective departments for upcoming changes and participate in accelerating Dubai’s journey towards future leadership.

On his part, Khalfan Belhoul reaffirmed the Dubai Future Foundations keenness to build national competencies across all fields and engage employees in developing innovative solutions to future challenges, thus consolidating Dubai’s position as a global hub for pioneering ideas.

He added that the Dubai Future Experts Programme creates a pool of verified futurists from diverse strategic sectors that can forecast the future of the emirate.

As part of the selection process, the applicants underwent a set of interactive tests to examine their creative thinking and decision-making skills. In addition, a specialised jury conducted one-on-one virtual interviews to assess the potential of the candidates to boost the performance of government departments.

The participants will attend a series of workshops and lectures, where they learn to identify and apply the principles of shaping the future, manage future-oriented projects, and develop future leadership initiatives.

Meanwhile, members of the first cohort from eight government entities in Dubai have reached the second stage of the programme that involves devising a roadmap for the future of their respective government entities in line with the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071.